U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,816 issued Dec. 17, 1985 and owned by the assignee of this invention discloses a can carton in which a pair of handle panels are struck from one carton wall and whose adjacent edges are coincidental with a transverse perforated slit extending across the one carton wall and having end projections extending into the carton walls foldably joined with the one carton wall.